CONVENTION ON WETLANDS (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
48th Meeting of the Standing Committee
Gland, Switzerland, 26-30 January 2015
SC48-27
Draft Resolution on Conservation of Mediterranean Basin island wetlands
Submitted by Greece
Action requested:
 The Standing Committee is invited to review and approve the attached draft resolution for
consideration by the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
Draft resolution XII.xx
Conservation of Mediterranean Basin island wetlands
1.
AWARE that the Mediterranean Basin is a global biodiversity hotspot and hosts one of the
largest groups of islands in the world with a rich history and varied cultural values;
2.
ALSO AWARE that the Mediterranean Basin is one of the leading tourist destinations in the
world and that its coastal and island ecosystems are facing intense and multiple pressures from
this sector;
3.
ACKNOWLEDGING the crucial role of Mediterranean island wetlands in protecting these islands
against the impacts of climate change and desertification, and their critical significance for a
variety of threatened and endemic species of flora and fauna and an important number of
migratory birds;
4.
CONCERNED that Mediterranean island wetlands increasingly face serious pressures, such as the
spread of urban and coastal developments that threaten to undermine their conservation status
and lead to the increased degradation of wetland areas and, subsequently, to ecosystem
fragmentation;
5.
AWARE of the fact that small island wetlands are extremely vulnerable and could be easily
destroyed, including by non-intentional actions and/or lack of awareness of their significance;
6.
ALSO CONCERNED that several Mediterranean island wetlands have already been partly or fully
dried out, or are increasingly water-stressed, and AWARE that the demand for fresh water for
human use on these islands continues to grow;
7.
RECALLING the commitments made by the Contracting Parties to achieving the wise use, as far
as possible, of all wetlands in their territories;
8.
ALSO RECALLING Recommendation 6.11, which encouraged continuing collaboration for
Mediterranean wetlands and urged all government and non-government organizations and
individuals concerned with wetlands in the Mediterranean to commit their best efforts for the
preparation and implementation of a concerted Mediterranean Wetlands Strategy;
9.
NOTING that the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet) has successfully contributed to
the protection of Mediterranean wetlands for more than 20 years and will continue to do so;
10. ALSO NOTING the efforts made by organisations and initiatives directly focusing on the
Mediterranean, such as the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against
Pollution (the Barcelona Convention) and its Mediterranean Action Plan, the Union for the
Mediterranean and others;
11. FURTHER RECALLING that the Strategic Framework and guidelines for the future development of
the List of Wetlands of International Importance (as adopted through Resolution VII.11 (1999)
and amended through Resolution XI.8 Streamlining procedures for describing Ramsar Sites at
the time of designation and subsequent updates (2012) indicates that smaller wetlands should
not be overlooked for designation as Wetlands of International Importance and that such
wetlands may be especially important in maintaining habitat or ecological community-level
biological diversity;
12. ALSO RECALLING Recommendation 5.3 (1993), which called for the establishment of strict
protection measures for Ramsar sites and wetland reserves of small size or particular sensitivity;
THE CONFERENCE OF CONTRACTING PARTIES
13. CALLS UPON Contracting Parties in and around the Mediterranean to address urgently the
significant human-induced pressures threatening island wetlands through effective and decisive
legislative or executive measures and other actions which apply a precautionary approach that
would prevent the destruction of island wetlands, while developing more long-term and
integrated strategies or plans;
14. ALSO CALLS UPON Mediterranean Contracting Parties to grant clear and effective legal
protection to Mediterranean island wetlands, so as to ensure the conservation of their
biodiversity, and the maintenance of their hydrological, cultural and social values;
15. REQUESTS that Mediterranean Parties continue to designate under-represented types of
wetlands as additional Wetlands of International Importance;
16. URGES Mediterranean Contracting Parties in the framework of the MedWet Initiative, to
produce or update as a matter of high priority a complete, science-based inventory of their
island wetlands, based on appropriate methodologies, such as the one developed for Greek
island wetlands, and to share it through a MedWet database;
17. REQUESTS Mediterranean Contracting Parties to ensure effective and long term conservation
and whenever applicable the restoration of their island wetlands, including by incorporating
them in territorial planning and/or land use and development plans, as well as in their
integrated water resources plans and water efficiency plans, and by considering designating key
small island wetlands for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance;
18. ALSO REQUESTS that Mediterranean Contracting Parties provide the Ramsar Secretariat with
regular updates on all Mediterranean island wetlands, whether or not they have been
designated as Ramsar Sites, through the triennial National Reports, including information on
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their number, extent, biodiversity, current conditions and protection status, and where possible
on the ecosystem services which they perform;
19. INVITES the Contracting Parties in and around the Mediterranean, with the support of the
Ramsar Secretariat, to:
a) further promote the high priority given by the Ramsar Convention in communicating the
conservation and restoration needs of Mediterranean island wetlands to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals (CMS), and to global trade, tourism and transport organisations and other relevant
international institutions, organisations and initiatives, so as to ensure that the degradation
of these fragile aquatic ecosystems is stopped and reversed;
b) share this Resolution with Conventions, organisations and initiatives directly focusing on the
Mediterranean, such as the Barcelona Convention and its Mediterranean Action Plan, the
Union for the Mediterranean and others, to ensure cooperation with existing programmes
and to initiate new partnerships;
c) develop, share and disseminate case studies, with the help of the MedWet Initiative and
other partners, where Mediterranean island wetlands have been:
i) negatively affected by human interventions, including through the spread of invasive
species; and
ii) effectively protected or restored, through particular measures and through their
designation as Ramsar Sites and/or other forms of protection;
20. INVITES non-Mediterranean Contracting Parties to give also special attention to their own island
wetlands, taking into account their regional specificities, in recognition of their fragility and
special conservation and management needs; and
21. INVITES all Contracting Parties to report on their island wetlands conservation results in their
National Reports.
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